Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - February 28, 2026 - Hour 1
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
34:27
Car
Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a small SUV made by Ford. It's good for families and people who want a car that's easy to drive but has more space than a regular car.
Term
warranty
A warranty is like a promise from the car company that if something breaks on your car within a certain time, they'll fix it for free.
Term
coolant loss
Coolant is the liquid that keeps your car's engine from getting too hot. If some of it leaks out, the engine can get damaged, so it's important to find out if coolant is leaking.
Term
porosity
Porosity means there are tiny holes in the metal parts of an engine that can cause problems like leaks. This can make the engine lose coolant and not work properly.
Term
pressure test
Pressure testing means putting pressure inside engine parts to see if there are any holes or leaks that shouldn't be there.
Term
valve job
A valve job means fixing parts inside the engine that open and close to let air and fuel in and out, helping the engine run smoothly.
Term
engine replacement
Sometimes a car's engine gets too old or broken to fix easily, so people put in a new engine instead. This means taking out the old engine and putting in a new one, but it can cost a lot of money.
Car
Ford F-250
The Ford F-250 is a big truck that people use to carry heavy stuff or tow trailers. It's built to be very strong and last a long time.
Term
octane
Octane is a number that tells you how good the gas is for your car's engine. Some cars need special gas with a higher octane number so the engine runs smoothly without knocking.
Term
premium fuel
Premium fuel is special gas that helps some car engines run better and not make knocking noises. It usually has extra stuff added to keep the engine clean and working well.
Car
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a medium-sized SUV that can fit a family and has lots of features. Some older ones had problems with the engine or shifting gears, so it’s good to check before buying.
Concept
diminished value
Diminished value means your car is worth less money after it has been in a crash, even if it looks fixed. This can affect how much you can sell it for or get from insurance.
Term
fake oil filters
Fake oil filters are bad copies of real filters that don't clean the engine oil properly, which can hurt your car's engine.
Term
counterfeit parts
Counterfeit parts are fake car parts that look real but aren't made properly. Using them can make your car unsafe or cause problems.
Concept
fleet
A fleet means a bunch of cars or trucks that a company or person uses for work, like delivery or mail.
Car
Buick Century
The Buick Century is a type of car made by Buick. It’s known for being comfortable and reliable, often used as a family or work car.
Term
check engine light
The check engine light is a warning light on your car's dashboard that tells you something might be wrong with the engine or emissions system and needs to be checked.
Part
intake air temperature sensor
The intake air temperature sensor checks how warm or cold the air going into the engine is, so the car can work better.
Part
mass airflow sensor
The mass airflow sensor tells the car how much air is coming into the engine so it can add the right amount of fuel.
Part
map sensor
The MAP sensor is a part that measures how much air pressure is inside the engine so the car knows how much fuel to use.
Term
transmission
The transmission is the part of the car that changes gears to help the car go faster or slower.
Brand
Pontiac
Pontiac was a car company that made sportier cars, but it stopped making cars after 2010.
Term
Computer Command Control
Computer Command Control is a system that uses a computer to help control how the engine runs, making the car more efficient and cleaner.
Car
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevrolet Chevelle is an old, fast car that people loved in the 1970s. It had a strong engine and looked really cool, so many car fans still like it today.
Car
Ford Mustang
The 1970 Ford Mustang is a famous American car that was built to be fast and look cool. Many people like it because it has a strong engine and a sporty style.
Car
Buick Skylark
The Buick Skylark is an old car that many people liked because it was nice to drive and looked good. Some car fans like to fix them up and keep them because they’re special.
Car
Chrysler 300
The Chrysler 300 is a big, fancy car that’s nice to ride in and looks sharp. People choose it when they want something comfortable and stylish.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that can pull heavy things like trailers. People like it because it’s tough and good for work or carrying big stuff.
Car
Chevrolet Express
The Chevrolet Express is a big van that can carry lots of people or stuff. It’s strong and used a lot by businesses or groups needing space.
Car
Dodge Road Runner
The Dodge Road Runner is an old fast car that was cheaper than other muscle cars but still very powerful. Some of the last ones made have special features that collectors like.
Term
Ohm's Law
Ohm's Law is a simple rule that helps you understand how electricity flows in a circuit. It tells you how voltage, current, and resistance work together, which is useful for fixing electrical problems.
Term
oil change
An oil change means taking out the old oil from your car's engine and putting in new oil. This helps keep the engine running smoothly and stops it from getting damaged.
LIVE
This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human.
Elena. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours before they sell out at Ticketmaster.com.
On June 11th, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
Hey, don't kill a cop invariant. What are you gonna do to me?
What really happened to the missing deputy?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's
high desert. Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be. So we asked kids, what do you want your parents
to hear? I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to. I would just want you to listen to me more often
and evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success. Listening is a form of love.
Find resources to help you support your kids and their emotional well-being at soundedouttogether.org.
That's soundedouttogether.org, brought to you by the ad council and Pivotal.
The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart podcast awards live from South by Southwest.
March 16th will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most
innovative talent and creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world.
Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart
podcast award is see all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards.
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audio
books, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible, there's more to imagine when you
listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com.
You're listening to Ron Ananian, the car doctor, nationally recognized auto expert,
trusted by mechanics, weekend renters, and vehicle owners alike. Ron brings over 40 years of hands-on
experience and deep industry insight to help you understand your vehicle. Join the conversation
live every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern by calling 855-560-9900. That's 855-560-9900.
You're a direct line to honest answers and practical advice.
Looking for more? Visit cardoctorshow.com for past episodes, repair tips, and Ron's latest
insights. And be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube channel for exclusive videos,
real repair footage, and more. Now start your engines. The car doctor is in the garage and ready
to take your call. You know, you know, you know, you know, you know, we're going to kick off this
hour. We've got a couple of housekeeping housekeeping things to do. Last week, we had a call from a
gentleman with a Ford Escape, and I wanted to address this last week, but we ran out of time.
He was talking about there was a warranty at the dealer, but the insurance company,
the warranty company wanted them to tear the engine down to prove that there was a coolant
loss, but yet it wasn't losing anything externally. Long story short, it generated some interesting
commentary. Most of them that day, gentlemen by the name of Brian Sheeran, Ward Sheeran Enterprises
in Virginia. I wouldn't know Brian if I was standing next to him, but I can tell you,
I trust him to rebuild any engine I've ever had just by the commentary and the emails that I get
from him. You can tell this guy's got it on the ball. He wrote me and he said, Ron, the fellow
who, whose Liberty Insurance told the dealer they had to tear the engine down and prove
porosity sounds nutty to me. It sounds like a reason to deny. And I agree with you, Brian. I
think it is a reason to deny. I think they're looking for an excuse not to have to warranty
that engine. I agree with you. He says, if there isn't an external leak, you should go stand on
his head outside the insurance company and request a new engine. Did I say that? Probably.
You know, plug read and borescope may help him if one of the cylinders has a shiny,
steam-cleaned piston tearing down an engine, let alone finding porosity these days is likely
beyond the dealer. And it is, especially, and in this case, it was the 1.5 liter Ford, which is
a known problem. Even some of the two liters, some of the two liter Ford escapes between
year model, year 17 and 20 have, have known issues, um, porosity in the block and casting
issues. And they're known for coolant loss. If he's an engine machine shop, Brian goes on
to say in his email, good luck finding someone to pressure test the block and heads, even in
areas where shops exist, pressure testing to find porosity isn't available in a lot of shops.
And I agree, right? And I love the line about the comment that he's in, if he's in an engine
machine shop desert, which, you know, that's really what's going on a lot across the country,
that there are machine shop deserts, uh, you know, where they just don't exist anymore.
It's, it's not a practice craft. It's not something that you see people going into. And
there's a lot of, of, you know, opportunity there because, well, there is a lot of opportunity,
but you just don't see people doing it anymore. The point is, you know, warranty claims have
to make sense. And, and, you know, when you're dealing with an extended warranty company and
I'm going to come right out and tell you, I've never dealt with a warranty company
that made sense to me. All right. Most of the warranty companies, well, I'm going to say
all of the warranty companies I've dealt with only cared about one thing, controlling cost
and doing so at the expense of the shop. And, you know, maybe that's biased, but as always,
I welcome and open the microphone to any warranty company that wants to come up here and talk about
it, but you're going to have to face me and deal with my questions. And, you know, it's,
it just seems like it's always, they want to control the diagnosis. They want to control
the time it takes to do the repair. They don't want to allow for age. They want to quote numbers
out of a manual. And as I always say, let the manual fix the car. But back to my email from Brian,
you know, Brian was trying to point out that it's got to make sense, which is what I was trying to
point out in replying to the gentleman regarding the coolant loss on the Ford Escape that it's
got to make sense. If you're losing coolant and you don't see it externally, you don't see
puddles under the vehicle, you don't see drips and drops under the vehicle,
unless, unless the coolant ferry is coming along and stealing it in the middle of the night,
instead of putting quarters under pillows, what else is there? It's internal in the engine.
And at what point do you say, does it pay to tear down a modern day engine? In this mechanics
opinion, it does not. I think, and I understand why there are engine machine shop deserts,
because I think, based on observations of what I'm seeing being fixed, that the days of, oh,
let's just pull the heads and do a quote unquote valve job. Those days are long gone. The, the
intricacy and the tenacity and the, the degree of difficulty to take apart our modern day engine
and put it back together, the expense involved and the potential for other things being wrong.
It, the cost factor is too high and it just, it becomes a bigger problem than it's worth.
And in a lot of cases, you're just better off put an engine in the vehicle and then it's an
evaluation on you as the customer. Do you want to buy a new car? Do you want to buy a new engine?
And with the idea that you put an engine in a vehicle and engines today, I'm going to say are
probably entry level, New Jersey dollars entry level, they're going to start around the five to
$6,000 mark, depending upon the vehicle, a pickup truck engines. I've seen F 250 fords go out the
door for nine grand or better. And it just becomes a very expensive proposition. Back to Brian's point,
as he points out, the insurance company is looking for a reason to deny. And I couldn't agree with
them more. If the warranty company actually cared about the customer, tear it down. Let's see where
it's leaking, but we're going to replace the engine because that's where it's got to be going if we
don't see an external leak. And you know, Brian, I commend you. I really like it when you chime in
there. Like as I like it when all of you chime in, but you know, definitely some really, really great
points. Tom Ray, my executive producer, chief engineer, cooking bottle washer, sent me an
article this week from the city life. Is that for this from? This is from citylife.com.
Let me look at the back of the article. The city report.
Gas lit at the pump. Many New York drivers pay premium, but get regular. So evidently,
there's a problem in New York City that somewhere in the last two years, and let's see, it starts at
least, every gas station in New York City has failed at least one inspection in the past two years
record show, mostly for selling fuel with lower than advertised octane. Wow. What a nightmare this
can cost, right? You know, a vehicle requires an octane, which is a better, a better form of fuel.
It's a, it's a, it's a premium fuel. It has additives in it. Um, I know I'm, I know my buddy
Roger over there at Sitco is going to tell me, guess is guess, which I get it. We have this
ongoing battle every time he shows up. But the point is when you're paying for premium where
you need premium because of the octane rating, octane is an engine's ability to resist detonation.
It is actually a slower burning fuel. So the flame front is longer in the cylinder. So it's a better
burning fireplace log. All right. It'll last longer and that prevents all sorts of internal
issues in the engine and it gives the engine more power. Well, evidently New York City gas stations,
whether it's intentional or by mistake, and I'll give credit on the chance that, yeah,
maybe a little bit of it or some of it is by mistake. But regardless, they're finding a lot
of New York City gas stations. You're paying for premium and you're getting regular. Um,
wonderful article. It points out, it makes you afraid to buy gas in New York, but you may want
to find it. Go out and look at the city life of the city report and the gas lit at the pump. You'll
find that it's an article dated January 20th of this year. Um, definitely, definitely a good read.
And Bob checking in from Long Island, Ron, it took some guts for me to spend $18,000 and a 2004
Toyota, but I couldn't be happier. I now have 84,000 miles on it and it's better than, well,
way better than a brand new Acadia that couldn't make it to 110,000. And most of the brand new cars
I have purchased, I'm encouraged when I hear you tell callers that their pickup won't make 200,000.
You know, it's not that it won't make 200,000. I don't think it's going to make 200,000 easily.
And that, and that's the sad part. And you know, the price of vehicles is just, it's out of control.
Next week, all right, next week on the show, we've got Ken Miller coming on. Ken is the president
of the Alliance of Automotive Service, providers of New Jersey. And of course, the Northeast
exposition trade show is going to be at the metal lands in New Jersey and Saquakis
at the metal lands exhibition center. I think that's the weekend of March 22nd, 22nd, 23rd,
that Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And they've had this every year for the past 45 plus years Ken was
telling me. And in this interview, and it's, I've prerecorded it, all right, because I wanted to
make sure I got all of it in. I wasn't sure where it would go. It was kind of free flowing.
We talk about the price of automobiles. What happens when they get hurt in an accident? We
talk about diminished value and how expensive vehicles have become and not necessarily
in a good or necessary way. And I won't give away too much, but you want to be around for that
interview next week. But it's sort of in line with what Bob's saying here about how expensive vehicles
are and they don't last, you know, any reasonable length of time. He goes on in his email, Ron,
I saved 40 grand and won't have to pay off my daughter's medical school bill. And I'll believe
I'll be riding this in 500,000 miles. That's the way I feel. He then go on to talk to talk about how
he wrote a letter to Wix in the fall last year about a potential fake oil filters. He didn't get
a response. He's written to some of the other's first brand's groups, which I believe is going
to affect the quality of filters and many things because they're gone now. And he talks about the
problems that he had in dealing with fakes and phonies. And this isn't a blow to Wix. This is
about, you know, the comment I want to make on this. And thanks, Bob. I appreciate all your
efforts. You know, a comment I want to make is be sure when you're buying parts, it's from
as reliable and as good a source as you can. It may not necessarily be the guy online. That guy
online may be, you know, he's selling quick, cheap, easy parts that he's buying in volume,
that he's never seeing. He's bringing it in from point A to point B and shipping it out to point
C and he's in point X. And he's just the guy handling the sale, but he's not necessarily
actually direct selling it, if you know what I'm saying. So there is a lot of and are a lot of
problems with counterfeit parts in what appear to be correct manufacturers parts and boxes. So
Bob makes the point that it's a concern and that, you know, we need to be aware of it. So
that's it. That's my housekeeping today. When I come back. Oh, boy, if I got a story for you.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Before you come back. I just want to say to everybody listening,
I have open phone lines right now. There's nobody on the phone. So we kind of have a choice here.
We can either have Ron help you with your car or we can listen to Ron talk. And for my sake, please.
There you go. I got rid of them. So, all right, Tom's out. Anyway, let's, I think they want to
hear me talk Tom Shush. I tell you what, everybody's watching TV today. They're watching the news and
what's going on there. So, you know, we'll leave it there. However, we can say we're a happy diversion.
We're going to talk good thoughts and positivity about fixing your car. 855560-9900. Again, 855560-9900.
I'm Ron and Amy in the car doctor. Come on back. Let's talk. I'll be here.
What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you,
what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?
When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?
I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.
Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.
NLP, aka Neurolinguistic Programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology.
Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.
It's about engineering consciousness. Mind games is the story of NLP. It's crazy
cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune
and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted.
The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work.
This is wild. Listen to mind games on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department went missing. It's an all-out manhunt for John OJ.
Every search and rescue team in LA County has been called in to help.
Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's Department.
The ruler around the drug scene was that a deputy was taken care of.
Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert?
Or of a cover-up inside the nation's largest Sheriff's Department?
A homicide captain saying, Detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent.
Who does that?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's
high desert. Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
I wouldn't do it alone.
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
State Forester in the Ad Council.
Hey, let's go
to Jim in Florida, and I think he just wants to say hello. Jim, welcome aboard, sir.
No, Jim's not there. Okay.
Cad is first. Okay, let's go to Cad then. I'm sorry.
Cad, Ronanani in the car doctor. How can I help?
Oh, yes, sir.
Yeah, it's Cad.
That's what, you know, that's what I thought.
I think Tom's fat fingers got in the way.
So, but I just, I only read him as I see him, kiddo.
But, um, so I apologize. How can I help you today?
Yeah, I got, um, I actually got a fleet of Buick Centuries. I'm a rural mail carrier.
Okay.
So I drive these cars, 350, 400 stops a day, 110 miles.
Right.
And I've got them anywhere from 2000 to 2005.
They're good reliable cars, they're good for the mail.
After I get over 100, and it varies five to 10, and I probably had 80 these through the years,
they'll, after they warm up, they will shift hard from first to second,
second to third, and so on.
It works all right, but it's ignoring, you know, I don't jar you.
If you shut it off, like you had a stop,
start it up again, after two to 10 minutes, it'll start doing it again.
It's done it on every car I've had, and it doesn't happen until roughly 100, 110,000.
And I've got some cars that went 220, 200,000 miles.
It's basically I run them until the body or train here or something goes out.
Right.
Yep.
It's mostly gravel, it's really hard on them.
Sure.
There is, there is a learned value to those transmissions where they will learn shift
characteristics and modify and change, and the reason that shutting it off works is you're
basically, if you want to think of it as a computer reset until it learns the bad form again,
it's generally a sign of an internal transmission issue where
think of, think of a balloon, right?
The balloon blows up to a three inch diameter, and the transmission would have maximum or,
you know, most efficient transmission operation at that three inch diameter.
However, as things wear, it can expand out to four inches.
So the trans, so the computer is trying to compensate and keep the diameter of that pool
of fluid at three inches as best it can.
But as the balloon expands, it has to work harder and harder and harder until it reaches
the maximum limit.
So it'll, it gets to that four inch diameter of fluid and it says, hey, I can't do any more
with it, operate as best you can.
But when you, when you shut it off, it resets it and tricks it back into, let me try a little
bit more and it will work until it finds that bad habit again, because it realizes its pool
of fluid is beyond its capability of control.
Makes sense?
Yeah.
So, you know, the answer is you're going to, you know, could it be, you know, I should ask any,
any dashboard warning lights on check engine, any fault codes in the vehicle?
If I don't have one on, it's kind of odd.
Okay.
These cars, they're usually high miles.
I usually get them with over a hundred thousand.
Um, well, yeah, they usually got brakes lights and dash lights.
Well, the reason I'm asking about check engine, because if they have any, if they have any
map sensor or mass airflow sensor fault or an intake air temp sensor fault, any of those
will affect transmission operation because that affects the learned value and the programming
in the software inside the vehicle.
So an actual, what I'm saying is an actual check engine light condition, a check engine
light fault can cause the transmission to shift improperly, causing it to wear out prematurely
based on how the vehicle is trying to compensate for and, and, and continue operation and be
efficient and stay in emissions compliance.
So in, in a sense, continued operation with a check engine light on over time could damage
the transmission.
Okay.
The other answer is that generation of Buick, most of the transas were terrible and not just
the Buicks, but you know, all of the GM of that body style, when they got to that 80 to 100,000
mile mark and beyond, they just, they, they didn't have great durability.
The fact that you get 200,000 miles out of them is, is most likely due to the fact that
it's continuous, you know, steady operation.
It's door to door.
It's the same route.
It's low, it's lower speeds.
I'm assuming you're not doing 65, 70 miles an hour, dropping off everybody's mail.
You know, it's, it's, it's just, it's, it's that steady rhythmical pace.
Yeah.
I barely get over 50, you know, right during the day, but, but it's, you know, stop and go
constantly.
So if a guy would reset some check engine lights, will that help it?
Well, not necessarily because, because there, there, there will be, if you repair those,
it, it all depends on what the faults are.
If the faults are related directly to engine operation, for example, if it was a, if it
was a thermostat fault, I don't know, I won't say that that's got a whole lot of authority.
It's going to have some authority on the condition and operating of the transmission.
But, you know, the things that are more key are manifold pressure, right?
If it, if it sees an incorrect manifold reading in terms of engine vacuum, it's going to affect
how the trans shifts.
If it sees incorrect intake air temp, it's going to affect how the trans shifts.
So the issue you're going to have is if all those lights have been on long term,
things get to be accumulative.
The vehicle stops doing all of its testing.
So you'd have to start at A and go to B, but you won't know until you at least scan it
and create some sort of a list and try and figure out where do you want to begin.
Tell you what, if you want, scan them, come back to me next week and give me some numbers.
And I'll tell you what we can start with.
I'm Ron Ananey in the car doctor.
We're back right after this.
programming is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics and psychology.
Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.
It's about engineering consciousness.
Mind games is the story of NLP.
It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune
and sold it to guys in suits.
He stood trial for murder and got acquitted.
The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work.
This is wild.
Listen to mind games on the iHeart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On June 11th, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
It's an all out manhunt for John Auge.
Every search and rescue team in LA County has been called in to help.
Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's Department.
They ruler around the drug scene was that a deputy was taken care of.
Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert
or of a cover up inside the nation's largest sheriff's department?
A homicide captain saying, detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent.
Who does that?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries
about crime and corruption in California's high desert.
Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
I wouldn't do it alone.
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart Radio App, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
All right, son, time to put out this campfire.
Dad, we learned about this in school.
Oh, did you now? Okay, what's first?
Smokey Bear said two.
First, drown it with a bucket of water, then stir it with a shovel.
Wow, you sound just like him.
Then he said,
If it's so warm, then do it again.
Where can I learn all this?
It's all on smokybear.com with other wildfire prevention tips,
because only you can prevent wildfires.
Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service,
your state forester, and the ad council.
This is the biggest night in podcasting.
The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards,
live from South by Southwest.
March 16th will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year
and celebrate the most innovative talent and creators in the industry.
It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world.
Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.
And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is…
See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards.
From the city streets,
From the city streets to the open roads tonight,
Hold tight, give a ride,
Need help, run, we'll keep you rolling right,
Rolling right, yeah,
He's a car doctor,
Car doctor,
Car, my boy,
my son,
Okay, let me go to Jim first in Florida.
Then I got a story for you.
If you're a Subaru owner,
stick close to the radio.
Jim, welcome aboard, sir.
How can I help you today?
Ron Anani at your service.
Hi, Ronny.
I've been listening to you for about four years.
I definitely went across and listened to the radio station
and it came across your station.
And I'm an old school mechanic.
Late eight, 1988, I had to retire.
I was going blind,
unexpectedly.
So I was a mechanic from 70 to 88.
Derremotors mainly.
And I am thrilled that there is an honest to truth,
good mechanic still out there.
I was one of them.
Worked with Derremot,
Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac,
dealership,
and I treated each customer as
the customer's car like it was mine.
I spent an extra few minutes
double checking my work
and I had the highest customer rating
in the Southeast regional,
at Monplied States.
So I commend for what you do.
Thank you, sir.
For your program.
So you were there in 70?
70 to 88.
1981 was a nightmare for mechanics
across this country when computers came in.
I was going to ask that.
Right.
81 was the first year for CCC,
Computer Command Control.
And I was curious what your reaction was.
Maybe you just said it best.
But I'll go back a couple of years before that.
So you're there in 70.
You saw the big block Chevelles
and the Buick GSs.
And you saw the end of the muscle car era.
Yes, I'm a Buick fan.
So let me put it that way.
The Churrell Super Sport 454, they're okay.
But if you listen and read Motor Trend in 1970 Mustang,
I mean 70 Trend,
they did a contest between Oldsmobile,
Pontiac, Devel and Buick
for a quarter mile right off the Churrell floor
of Buick with the fastest car.
Yeah, I believe that.
And a quarter mile.
I believe that.
1338, 1338 and a quarter mile stock
where the Chevelles Super Sport ran 1380.
Now let me ask you a question, Jim.
How come?
Can you remember what you had for lunch a week ago?
I'm going to let you know I'm about the same age as you are now.
So while I had lunch last week, that's a different story.
But how come you can remember ET times?
And this just shows what a gearhead you are, right?
You can remember ET times and miles an hour
on a car from 50 years ago,
but you can't remember lunch last week.
And that's what makes us gearheads.
I just want you to know that.
That's the reality of it.
I know that.
Yeah.
I know that.
Yeah.
I'm a muscle fan and my goal is to have another Buick
Skylark in my garage and fix it up the way it's going to be.
And I am a gearhead just like you are.
You got a money car.
And Florida weather is great on car.
They last forever.
Oh yeah, without a doubt.
Hey Jim, I'll tell you what.
Stay on the phone.
Let Tom get your information.
I'm going to send you a car doctor coffee cup.
All right, fan like you.
Oh, I loved that.
Oh yes, sir.
All right.
So you stay on the line and let Tom get your information.
We'll get that out to you this week.
And we're happy to talk to you.
Always a good time.
Old school gearheads.
We could go on for hours.
But yeah, do that and we'll do that for you.
Let's go over to Kevin in Virginia.
Can we do that and see what's going on here?
Hey Kevin, how are you today?
Hey Tom, it's Kevin from Massachusetts.
I've just headed back to two Massachusetts from Florida.
And in the Chrysler 300?
No, no, that's at home.
I'm in the Dodge Ram and I picked up a tilt trailer on the way home
and I had an empty trailer, so I stopped and bought a 1970 Dodge dude.
I don't know if you ever heard of one of them.
No, but I can imagine you doing that.
For the record, everybody, I've never met Kevin,
but Kevin is a die in the hard Dodge guy.
And I think if it didn't say Dodge, he would walk.
If that was his option, that was his choice.
He's got DODGE printed on his underwear.
Everybody calls him Dodge in high school or at summer camp
because that's the name his mom put there.
So am I wrong?
Am I wrong?
You're close.
No, yeah.
So what is a Dodge dude?
That's a D100, right?
It's a D100 and it's got some fancy trim packages to it.
It's a 383 big block with a three speed on the column.
Right.
And it was done.
Don Knotts was like a spokesperson for Dodge for it.
I remember that.
They only made about 2,000 of them.
Now, what was the little red truck?
Remember the Dodge little red truck?
That was a D100 also, wasn't it?
Yeah, the little red express.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And those are rare and hard to find also, correct?
Yeah, it's the older one.
And then they went to a warlock.
Those are the old warlocks are even harder to find.
Right, right.
What's the fanciest Chrysler Dodge product you've ever owned, Kevin?
Ah, jeez.
Probably the dart that I have right now as far as hot rod wise.
My friend Raymond had a, he somehow acquired a 71 Hemikuda.
And I can tell this story because he's retired to Thailand,
so chances are he won't hear it.
So he retired to Thailand.
Anyway, he acquired the 71 Hemikuda.
And, you know, which it was five years old at the time.
So this was 1977, 78, right?
Yep.
And I can remember it like it was yesterday.
God, that car was God awful fast, but it was just terrible to try and keep on the road.
It just, you know, it $8 bills like a puppy getting at a ground beef package.
It just gobbled it down.
So he got the opportunity and looking back, it probably wasn't the right thing to do,
but he got the opportunity to sell it back to the guy that he bought it from
for a New Jersey state police car and five grand.
Now, the New Jersey state police car was one of those old Dodge cop cars.
It was kind of like the blues mobile, right?
It was just, you know, 440, you know, cop tires, cop shocks, cop exhaust, all that nonsense.
It had a calibrated speedometer, I think up to 160 miles an hour.
You could cruise really fast on the highway, but it wasn't the Hemikuda.
It was, it just wasn't a Hemikuda.
And we always kid him lovingly about it when we talk about it as we recollect.
But I'll tell you what, that was one heck of a car.
I always liked Chrysler's and I'm a die in the hard, die in the wool hard Chevy guy,
just for a lot of reasons.
But one thing I always liked about Chrysler's,
do you ever notice how their engine compartments were always painted body color?
Yep, I like that.
They were the only company to do that.
And I think that's a testimony they understood that even heat wouldn't affect their paint.
They just entrusted it so.
And, you know, Chrysler is an interesting company when you read about it.
Some of the things I was watching the series on,
I think it came out on PBS America and the cars that made it.
And I think somewhere around the, it's a three-part series.
I encourage everybody to watch it if they can.
They talk about in the late 60s when Chrysler was dealing with the muscle car era,
how the last six months of production of the 69 Road Runner, I think it was,
they put out an option where you could order a 446 pack car.
And it was just, it was interesting to see, you know,
what the car companies had the ability to do.
You know, if anything about the muscle car era fascinates me so,
it's how the car companies have the ability to, we want to do this and they did it, right?
They just, the options and their reach and their ability to be flexible and make so many changes.
And just good stuff.
Kevin, always a pleasure, sir.
I got to run them up against the clock.
You have yourself a good rest of the weekend.
Get home safe.
Well, I know that and I appreciate that.
You be well and enjoy your dodge.
I'm Ron and Annie in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?
I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.
Can you get someone to join your cult?
NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.
NLP, a.k.a. neurolinguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics and psychology.
Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.
It's about engineering consciousness.
Mind games is the story of NLP.
It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune
and sold it to guys in suits.
He stood trial for murder and got acquitted.
The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work.
This is wild.
Listen to mind games on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
It's an all-out manhunt for John Auje.
Every search and rescue team in LA County has been called in to help.
Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's Department.
They ruler around the drug scene was that a deputy was taken care of.
Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert?
Or of a cover-up inside the nation's largest Sheriff's Department?
A homicide captain saying,
Detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent.
Who does that?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries
about crime and corruption in California's high desert.
Do you have any advice for us while looking into this experience?
I wouldn't do it alone.
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
All right, 87.
Everyone needs to take care of their mental health,
even running back Bijan Robinson.
When I'm on the field, I'm feeling the pressure.
I usually just take a deep breath.
When I'm just breathing and seeing what's in front of me,
everything just slows down.
It just makes me feel great before I run the play.
Just like Bijan, we all need a strong mental game on and off the field.
Make a game playing for your mental health at loveyourmindplaybook.org.
Love Your Mind.
Brought to you by the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation,
the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and the Ad Console.
Now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards.
So, first of all, let me start off here and say,
thank you for everybody for the response to the social media campaign,
because we've been talking about it.
You know, get out to our YouTube channel.
Look at our videos.
Like, get out to the podcast page if you want more of the car doctor.
You know, just the broadcast show isn't enough,
if that's what you're getting, or if you're a podcaster.
You know, we always ask you, please subscribe.
If you know someone that's looking for car information,
please subscribe, because it does help us,
and it keeps us here, and it keeps us, you know,
if we can be here to help you, then we help others,
and that's really what this show is about.
All right.
Well, it's working, because in the last three weeks,
I was looking at the numbers, the analytics,
and we've seen a six and a half percent increase
in podcast downloads in the last three weeks.
So, our numbers are up.
We're very happy.
We're very thankful.
And I just want to acknowledge everything you're doing is working,
and please keep it up.
My wife said to me the other day, she goes,
I want to see you on TV, much to Tom's disappointment,
but my wife wants to see me on TV,
so we figured the only way we can do this
is more social media, and to get somebody's attention to say,
hey, you know what, this guy might be kind of fun to watch,
and they'll look at.
I could show you things like, so Tuesday, what a segue, huh?
Tuesday, I'm cleaning up after the snowstorm,
and my snowplow broke.
There is no worse feeling in the world than, you know,
having gone through the snowstorm that the Northeast
got hit with on Monday.
It was so bad Monday, you know, plowing,
that the only way I knew I was on the road,
I could just make out, because it was like,
you had five foot of visibility, and then it was a whiteout.
All right, if I looked to the left and I saw a mailbox,
and I looked to the right and I saw a mailbox,
I knew I was on the road somewhere.
I just wasn't quite sure which lean I was in.
It was that bad.
So, the fact that the truck made it through that,
thank God it only broke on Tuesday,
and it broke at the right place.
It broke in the shop.
It just, the plow wouldn't come up anymore.
So, long story short, I went through some basic diagnosis,
and it's kind of hard, because, well, frankly,
some of it's on me, because, you know,
we had a new snowplow installed three years ago,
and you never stop to think, gee, when it breaks,
how will I fix it?
So, you know, I had to dig up wiring diagrams,
and the boys over at Traffic Safety in Maua
were very helpful, very receptive.
But one of the things I noticed is, you know,
nobody, western on down, doesn't look at
how does the circuit work.
If this goes bad, they change that.
If that goes bad, they change this.
And I get that, but I want to know how the circuit works.
And I found that the 15 amp fuses,
four fuses under the hood, and the 15 amp fuse
that feeds power to the control module
and runs the headlights, failed.
It melted.
So, put another fuse in, long story short,
and got everything working again.
But why did that fuse fail?
And, you know, I could have shown you this.
This would have been a, I thought this would have
been a good video, and I should have done it.
Maybe I still will.
You know, we'll put it up on the YouTube channel.
Because I took an amp clamp, which measures amperage, right?
And we monitored that fuse.
On startup, that fuse puts out about 6.8 amps, almost 7 amps.
When we turn the headlights on, it spikes to 19,
and then settles down to 13 amps,
just shy of 13 amps.
It's the headlight circuit.
But it's also the controller feed, as well.
A 13 amp load on a 15 amp fuse is too much,
and over time, it's going to fail.
We're going to convert the plow truck to LEDs.
I think the problem is we had put brighter bulbs in,
because we couldn't see with the older bulbs.
So, we probably created this problem ourselves.
But it was just a case of really good old-fashioned diagnostics.
And it was so easy to see.
Because I thought about it, how am I going to prove this?
I used Ohm's Law.
I took out my Ohm's Law calculator, plugged in voltage,
and amperage.
It gave me the resistance value.
It gave me the wattage.
I was able to...
Yeah, that matches what the bulbs are pulling,
because they're ultra-bright headlight bulbs,
65 watts a piece.
So, just would have been a good video for television.
Maybe I'll do it for YouTube, as well.
But anyway, I appreciate your social media support.
855-560-9900.
Ronan Aining, The Car Doctor.
We're back right after this.
NLP, aka Neurolinguistic Programming,
is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology.
Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.
It's about engineering consciousness.
Mind games is the story of NLP.
It's crazy cast of disciples, and the fake doctor
who invented it at a New Age commune
and sold it to guys in suits.
He stood trial for murder and got acquitted.
The biggest mind game of all?
NLP might actually work.
This is wild.
Listen to mind games on the iHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On June 11th, 1998,
the deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
went missing.
It's an all-out manhunt for John Auge.
Every search and rescue team in LA County
has been called in to help.
Within days,
tips started flooding into the Sheriff's Department.
The ruler around the drug scene
was that a deputy was taken care of.
Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert?
Or of a cover-up inside the nation's largest Sheriff's Department?
A homicide captain saying,
Detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent.
Who does that?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries
about crime and corruption in California's high desert.
Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
I wouldn't do it alone.
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.
So we asked kids, what do you want your parents to hear?
I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to.
I would just want you to listen to me more often
and evaluate situations with me
and lead me towards success.
Talented creators in the industry.
It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world.
Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.
And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is...
See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards.
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award.
Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts,
and originals all in one easy app.
Audible, there's more to imagine when you listen.
Sign up for a free trial at Audible.com.
Gee whiz, look at that.
Here we are in the middle of a nationally syndicated radio show
and I just got noticed that, uh,
Walbert lost electricity at the shop.
This'll be exciting.
So, the things that go on in the life of...
I want to talk to you about, you know,
we're talking about maintaining cars and the value of it.
We had a customer this week with a 2016 Chevy Traverse,
which is what made me think of the shop.
And older car, right?
It's now 10 years old.
It's got 80,000 miles on it.
And he's going along on oil changes.
And you can see that it's having an effect.
It's every time we change the oil,
the last two, three times,
it's starting to develop that yellow pus under the oil fill cap.
The dipstick is really getting dirty.
You can see it's really starting to varnish up.
And I had a real heart to heart with him
because I'm one of those mechanics.
You know what?
I'm trying to get you to take care of your car,
not necessarily because I'm trying to make money and sell jobs
but because I'm trying to keep your car running longer.
It's... cars are just too darn expensive, right?
It's... I think it's $35,000 to get into a car,
you know, entry level and it's $50,000 to buy something really comfortable.
And, you know, we had that conversation.
And why do I have to change it based on time?
Because oil, you know, it will have condensation issues.
Short trip driving, three to five miles a day,
that vehicle's never going to warm up and it becomes a problem.
And you want to stay on top of the oil changes.
And oil is still the cheapest thing you can put in it.
We changed this oil.
We... he was starting to develop some engine noise,
you know, a little bit of a lifter tick.
We put in a bottle of Hot Shot Secret Tick Fix Protect.
We're going to see how it resolves
because I'm sure it'll help clean out the passages.
Hot Shot Secret makes some good stuff.
Get out the HotshotSecret.com.
But the bottom line is you want to do more to your car.
You want to take care of it and keep it longer.
Till the next time, I'm Ron Anany and The Car Doctor.
Good mechanics aren't expensive. They're priceless.
Yeah, he's a car doctor.
Car advice done right.
On June 11th, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
Hey, don't kill a cop and bury him. What are you going to do to me?
What really happened to the missing deputy?
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries
about crime and corruption in California's high desert.
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeart radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Saturday, May 2nd, country's biggest stars will be in Austin, Texas.
At our 2026 iHeart Country Festival presented by Capital One.
Tickets are on sale now.
Get yours before they sell out at Ticketmaster.com.
That's Ticketmaster.com.
All right, son. Time to put out this campfire.
Dad, we learned about this in school.
Oh, did you now? Okay. What's first?
Smokey Bear said two.
First, drown it with a bucket of water, then stir it with a shovel.
Wow, you sound just like him.
Then he said.
If it's still warm, then do it again.
Where can I learn all this?
It's all on SmokeyBear.com with other wildfire prevention tips.
Because only you can prevent wildfires.
Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service, your state forester, and the ad council.
This is the biggest night in podcasting.
The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards,
live from South by Southwest.
March 16th will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year
and celebrate the most innovative talent and creators in the industry.
It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world.
Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.
And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is...
See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards.
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award.
Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts,
and originals all in one easy app.
Audible, there's more to imagine when you listen.
Sign up for a free trial at audible.com.
This is an iHeart podcast.
Guaranteed human.
About this episode
Ron Ananian dives into the challenges of modern vehicle repairs, focusing on warranty disputes like a Ford Escape coolant loss case where insurers demand costly engine teardown without clear evidence. He highlights the scarcity of engine machine shops and the high costs of engine replacements today. Ron also discusses a troubling report about New York City gas stations selling lower octane fuel than advertised, impacting engine performance. Listener stories emphasize the rising cost of vehicles and their questionable longevity. Upcoming, Ron previews a conversation with Ken Miller about the high expense and diminished value of modern cars.
Original notes
- Grab your Car Doctor gear – T-shirts & more at CarDoctorShow.com
-
Follow the wrench – Instagram @ronananian for shop life & behind-the-scenes
-
Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
-
Got a car question? Call the Car Doctor Hotline 24/7 – (855) 560-9900
-
Join the conversation LIVE – Saturdays 2–4 PM Eastern
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
iHeartPodcasts and Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
0:00
34:27